Tory Election Losses, Apple's $110 Billion Buyback & Goldman Scraps UK Bonus Cap

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast: (1) Labour have taken a parliamentary seat from the Conservatives in northern England. It's the first major setback in a predicted slew of defeats for Sunak’s Tories, as results from local council elections across England plus key mayoralties like London, Tees Valley and West Midlands are announced on Friday and over the weekend. (2) Apple shares jumped in late trading after the company posted stronger-than-expected sales last quarter and predicted a return to growth in the current period, sparking optimism that a slowdown is easing. Apple also announced the biggest stock buyback in US history. (3) The Bank of England's effort to stimulate the economy during the pandemic is responsible for all £115 billion ($144 billion) of the net losses on quantitative-easing that UK taxpayers will have to cover, analysis by Bloomberg shows. (4) Bloomberg has found that Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecommunications giant blacklisted by the US, is secretly funding cutting-edge research at American universities including Harvard through an independent Washington-based foundation. (5) Goldman Sachs is preparing to scrap an EU-era cap on bonuses for hundreds of its staff in Britain, paving the way for some successful and highest-paid traders and investment bankers to make many times their base salaries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.